A celebration is a set of public festivities created to mark or honor a certain person, thing or occurrence. Starting a celebration means identifying the thing you want to celebrate and choosing the best ways to call attention to the day and make it a joyous occasion.

Steps

Part 1

Choosing What to Celebrate

1

Choose the reason you want to celebrate. National holidays and birthdays are the most common causes for celebration. However, a new job, a marriage an anniversary or a big life change are also great options.

Use a website like daysoftheyear.com to find unconventional National celebrations that you can join or introduce into your community.

2

Choose something that others will likely want to celebrate with you. Celebrations are generally considered public, although you can celebrate quietly and personally if you desire.

3

Decide who your audience will be. Decide if your pool of other celebrants is online, in the workplace or amongst friends and family. Decide if it will be personal, citywide, statewide, national or international.

4

Ensure the celebration is appropriate for the environment in which you want to promote it. For example, a religious holiday may not be appropriate in a government office where church and state should be separated. A bachelorette party may not be appropriate in an environment where there are a lot of children.

Part 2

Planning a Celebratory Event

1

Pick a date. If the celebration isn’t on the same date every year, pick any date that is convenient for you and your celebrants. Choose a weekend date if the people you want to invite usually work during the week.

2

Choose a time. It can be all-day or during a set time period. Avoid conflicting work schedules by scheduling a large event in the evening if it is held on a weekday.

3

Start planning well in advance. The occasion will dictate how early you need to start, but, generally, the more people who are involved, the sooner you should start. For large occasions like weddings, family reunions or big parties, start six months to a year ahead of time.

4

Pick a venue. Ask the hosts what capacity they can hold and plan accordingly. If you choose to celebrate at home or in the office, set some furniture aside to make way for mingling. A venue may or may not require payment.

5

Plan what food you will serve. Unless the celebration precludes food in some way, people love to celebrate with food and drink. If you don’t want to provide all the food yourself, consider making it “potluck,” where everyone brings something.

Consider having a food theme. For example, if you want to celebrate French Bastille Day, serve baguettes, Brie and other French food.

Decide if you will serve alcohol. If you are weary of providing an environment where people can drink, make plans to have designated drivers, a shuttle or cabs.

Always include non-alcoholic options and water at a celebration.

6

Decorate. Decide the best colors to convey the occasion and make or buy decorations. Hang signs that announce the celebration.

7

Create some favors. They can be as simple as name tags and flags or as elaborate as food and gifts. If you aren’t sure what to make, set up a craft station where guests can make something for themselves, or decorate a sign.

8

Pick music that follows the theme. If possible, ask people to sing, dance or recite poetry.

Part 3

Inviting Others to Celebrate

1

Send a “Save the Date” if there is a large guest list. If you don’t want to go to the expense of sending it in the mail, send an email, evite or Facebook invitation months in advance.

2

Send an official invitation via email or mail at least a month in advance.

3

Request RSVPs if you have a large guest list. If you send an invitation by mail, include a return card for RSVPs. If you send the invitation by Facebook or email, include a virtual RSVP option.

4

Ask others to get involved. People who are passionate about the celebration may want to help and provide food, drink or favors.

5

Encourage others to share and send your invitation on if it is something that others can join. This is especially important with regional or national holidays and charity awareness events. Grassroots, word of mouth campaigning can be very effective.

6

Use a Facebook invitation to get the word out to more people. If this will be an annual celebration, consider making a website or starting a Facebook page, so that people can be part of a forum about the event.

7

Get the word out via radio, TV or by putting up flyers. If this is a truly public event, you will want to get out amongst the public and invite people to join.

You're helping people by reading wikiHow

wikiHow's mission is to help people learn, and we really hope this article helped you. Now you are helping others, just by visiting wikiHow.

World Possible is a nonprofit organization focused on connecting offline learners to the world's knowledge. They work to ensure that anyone can access the best educational resources from the web anytime, anywhere, even if they do not have an internet connection.

Click below to let us know you read this article, and wikiHow will donate to World Possible on your behalf. Thanks for helping us achieve our mission of helping people learn how to do anything.

Community Q&A

Tips

These are common ways that people celebrate. However, you can choose to use more unconventional methods as well. Search online for how other people are celebrating a similar occasion to get more ideas.

You can have impromptu celebrations with friends by going out for dinner, drinks or a day out.